~ Chapter 3: The Outer Circle ~
After a little while of riding the carriage on the dirt road, I perked my head up to check how close we were again. We were along the side of the castle's moat; I looked up. I saw Angel do the same, and even he was as impressed as I was. The outer wall was so huge! How could anypony possibly build this? Looking down the moat, I saw the drawbridge where other ponies were gathering to go inside. Even from here I could see the fancy types being let in right away.
As we approached the drawbridge, two guards came to inspect our carriage, walking along either side of us.
"Hello!" I greeted them with a smile, hoping a good impression would make things easier. They gave a light bow to me and said the same thing as the toll bridge guard.
"Please enjoy your stay, milady." It felt odd to be treated this way, although sometimes when I was with Princess Celestia other ponies did the same... My face slumped with annoyance. I hope I won't have to deal with the inequality too much while I'm here... The carriage rolled over the drawbridge and we passed under the archway at the wall, casting us in shadow.
When we got inside, I couldn't help but hang my jaw agape. The castle town was so huge! Ponies were scampering about every which way, there were merchants all over the place pitching their things in front of their houses... It was very energetic. I only saw earth and unicorn ponies; no pegasi were in sight, which I thought was a bit strange. No matter... As I expected, the earth ponies seemed to be at a lower social status than unicorns. I watched said unicorns only pay a fraction of the cost for things that earth pony merchants were selling... Even one that simply stole a robe without paying! I saw the merchant's look on her face; destitute and hopeless, as if she couldn't do anything. I had to do something...!
I hopped over to the front part of the sitting area of the carriage to talk to the driver once more.
"Thank you for taking me here... What's your name?" The look on her face when I asked her that question was way beyond surprise. I guess unicorns don't even consider their names to be important...
"I-I'm... Um... Don't worry about it." She was nervous, still, as she said it. I frowned and nodded in acknowledgement.
"Well, either way, nice to meet you, and thank you for the ride. I really should find and repay you sometime; but now, I must be going!" The carriage director seemed to be dumbstruck, staring off into space as I hopped off of the vehicle to find that perpetrator. Aha! There he is! A light blue unicorn in a fancy getup... He's the thief. I quickly trotted over to him. Angel hopped out of the carriage a bit late, following me and carefully dodging the bustle of the crowd.
"Hey!" I blocked his path to catch his attention, staring him in the face. He swung his head around to get his curly white mane out of his face.
"Can I help you?" The robe that he stole was slung over his shoulder. I felt my white rabbit friend hop onto my back, looking a bit annoyed that I left him behind. I looked back at him apologetically for a moment, and resumed what I was doing; I pointed a hoof at the article of clothing accusingly.
"You didn't pay for that! You should return it at once." I gave him a look of determination, and he returned an annoyed one.
"I won't pay a single bit to any dirty hornless." He scoffed and turned his nose up, walking hastily past me. I made an irritated face and started gathering magic in my horn. Grabbing the robe off his shoulder, I quickly set it on my own back and started to casually trot back to the merchant that had this. Luckily, the stuck-up pony didn't notice I took it, and neither did anypony else, being too busy. I managed to work through the crowd and reach the trader's small kiosk, seeing her attend another customer. I got a closer look at her; she was a yellow earth pony with a long, dark red mane, and wore a simple brown robe. Grateful for the finished transaction, the shopkeeper noticed me and turned to me. A gasp came from her along with some nervous speaking and a lowered head, like she was afraid. She looked like Fluttershy.
"C-can I h-help you, milady...?" I returned a sad expression, but quickly smiled as I grabbed the stolen robe off my back with my mouth and laid it on a display stand. I saw her eyes brighten up, along with a gasp of surprise covered by a hoof.
"I think this was stolen from you, so I got it back." I smiled and she looked me in the eyes, teary but surprised... I suppose I should expect earth ponies to be surprised at my kind actions from now on.
"Th-thank you, milady... I-I have to earn a living, s-so I can't lose anything..." I frowned with concern. Of course, this seemed like a poor area... I knew there wasn't anything I could do right now to help everypony, but... Maybe I could help her get better sales. I think I had an idea.
"Could you stand next to me for a moment?" She obliged with confusion, but stayed quiet and didn't ask me why. I recall Rarity sometimes has kiosks that she sets up to sell simple clothes when she's in a bind for money. They were very well-designed, as is the rest of everything she makes! But, the main thing is that it was made in a way to really attract customers; they could better see everything that was available. I tried to remember how she set it up as I gathered magic in my horn; hopefully she won't mind me intruding on her stand, if I'm making it better...
I magically grabbed all of the clothing on the kiosk, levitating it over to the owner whose mouth was hanging open and was staring at me wide-eyed. After I dumped it all on her back with an audible 'Oof!' it looked like she was able to carry it, but she still looked confused and surprised and afraid, all at once.
"Don't worry, I'll help you." I undid all of the nails holding it together, and gathered them in a bunch next to me; the wood almost fell apart, but I magically grabbed it all, too. I noticed Angel flicked a nail back into place that was drifting off. The stand was pretty flimsy-looking to begin with, but when I'm through... I laid several long planks on top of each other, straight and facing out, and then set shorter ones at the corners.
Right...! Now that I see it, it was like a lemonade stand. Rarity always told me that sometimes going back to the basics was best. I laid more long planks on top; it was a true stand, now. Straining as I held it all together, nice and even, I stuck the nails through the appropriate spots. There were some extra wood and nails, so I thought a sign would work. Borrowing a paintbrush from a nearby can that was sitting unattended where somepony was painting, I painted 'CLOTHING' in big white letters across three broad planks. I then set up the sign properly, hanging up above the stand and then nailed it all together, putting the paintbrush back.
I looked over my work, and I thought it looked pretty good! I turned my head toward her and she was simply staring at me, her jaw practically on the ground. No doubt she was simply really surprised a unicorn like me would help! I took all the clothing off her back and folded them carefully, setting them up in a way that was pleasing to the eye on the stand. They were simply-made, and they were just robes and dresses, so I divided them up proper. There, all done! I looked over to her and she was still staring at me with a dumbstruck face.
"Wh-what's the matter?" I couldn't help but notice that a bunch of other ponies, mostly earth ponies, had gathered around and were showing the same expression, and I looked back at them with surprise, myself. I was really starting to feel nervous, now.
"You... You can do magic!" I looked at the shop owner again with a face of concern. I could hear some ponies chattering in the crowd that gathered.
"Of course I can, I'm a unicorn, after all." She was about to speak again, when a random pony stepped forward out of the crowd towards the stand, and shouted out.
"I'll pay fifty bits for some robes touched by magic!!" Fifty bits!? Even I was taken aback by that amount for... Well, they were cheaply made, you had to admit. They couldn't be worth that much, could they?
"I'll pay sixty!!"
"Seventy, here!"
The crowd surged forward, wanting to buy all of the clothes that I had used a simple levitation spell on. The shop owner ran to the back of the stand, nervously but quickly starting up all the sales. I stayed on the side, watching her with a smile. She seemed to be really happy making all of that money. Still, one thing bothered me; even the unicorns in the crowd seemed to be surprised that I could do a simple levitation spell on these objects; they were even buying some! It didn't make much sense... Either way, I'm glad they seemed to have forgotten about me, though, as they all quickly tried on their robes and dresses and galloped away to make room for new customers. It felt good to do a good deed!
The last of the clothing was sold, much to the disdain of the others who moped away, and the shopkeeper rustled the big bag of funds that she received. She turned to me happily, and ran over to give me a tight hug.
"Thank you thank you so much!!" After a moment, she immediately broke the hug and backed away a bit, seeming to have regretted doing that. Of course...
"You're very welcome!" I couldn't really resist; I hugged her myself, instead. She gasped and hugged back reluctantly. I broke the hug after a bit, since she seemed to be clinging on tight, which started to feel awkward.
"There has to be some way I can repay you for doing so much for me...!" She looked over to the rather big sack of money, and I opened my mouth, about to say that I didn't need anything; but honestly, I needed quite a lot. Maps, charts, a calendar, food, money of my own, other travel supplies... not least of all a place to stay! Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to ask...
"...Do you happen to have room at your house for a guest?" I felt a little patting on my neck, and I looked back at Angel with a nervous chuckle; he was annoyed I forgot about him again. "I mean, two guests?" He smiled, and she gasped in what was becoming predictable surprise.
"Surely you wouldn't want to stay in a hornless's house for the night? The inner circle I'm sure has plenty of room for somepony as talented as you..." She was nervous, but also hopeful at the same time. Was I that intimidating? I shook my head and responded courteously and proudly.
"Oh, no, I don't mind; besides, you seem like somepony who needs a bit of friendship in their life." I could see her getting happily teary, and I raised a hoof to motion her to settle down some. "There's no need to get worked up... Everypony needs a friend!" It didn't seem to help; she immediately hugged me again, crying and sniffling loudly. We drew some odd looks, and I chuckled nervously as I patted her back.
After she calmed down, she broke the hug and looked at me, wiping away her tears and sniffling.
"A-alright then, come inside with me, then..." Tying a rope tight around the bag of money she made, she dragged a loose end of the rope with her mouth, moving backwards to what I assume was her house's door. It opened as she pushed on it, and the bag jingled with coins as it was dragged in. I looked back to Angel happily, glad that we have a place to stay. He seemed a bit relieved, too. I stepped inside, closing the door behind me.
The interior of her house was fairly small; it was slightly larger than the old hermit's house from before, although there was a second level, and this place was better kept. There were a few candles lit, sitting in holders on a table pushed to the wall to my left. The table had an open book on it, and a small stool below. At the corner, past the table, was a small three-shelf bookshelf stocked with books. The far wall had a tall set of shelves holding odds and ends. To my right was a stepladder to get to the second floor. The place reminded me much of my own house! I could like it here.
The yellow pony dragged the bag of money to a big cabinet, pushing it inside and then closing it with an exhausted sigh. She still had the look of happy disbelief over what just happened as she removed her robe, tossing it onto the countertop. Her cutie mark was visible; it looked like a wavy piece of cloth.
"I-I think I might have the money to go to the festival now...! Oh thank you again, milady!" She ran to me and I braced for another hug; but she bowed before me, instead. I looked down at her and shook my head.
"You don't have to keep doing all that, or call me 'milady'. Just call me Tw-" I stopped for a moment. It probably wasn't a good idea to give out my real name, seeing as how easy it was for me to make a stir... I didn't really like a lot of attention. If my name is connected to where I live, too, it'll just be a hassle...
I simply spouted out the first name that came to mind. "...Viola Étoile. But you can call me Viola." I held a hoof proudly to my chest. She stood up and nodded at me, but seemed fairly shy, still. Hopefully nopony will make the connection; besides, not many read the books of old ponies. "What's your name?" I inquired in response.
"O-oh... M-my name's not important... No need to bother with that stuff, um... M-Miss Viola." She got really antsy all of a sudden, and seemed really nervous and restless. My mind went back to the nice pony who gave me a ride in her carriage. Was it so bad for a unicorn to ask an earth pony's name? I didn't want to trouble her, so I didn't push for her name.
"Well, if you say so..." All of the earth pony inferiority complexes were making me feel uneasy. Being in a place with such lack of harmony as opposed to where I live must have an effect on me. I looked back at my rabbit friend on my back who seemed to have taken a nap. It reminded me about something I had to ask.
"Oh...! Right, where should me and my friend sleep? If you have just a blanket, I'll be fine on the rug over there." I turned my gaze toward a simple throw rug in front of the bookshelf. She gasped and shook her head vigorously.
"Nonono! I'll sleep on the rug, you take the bed! It's the least I can do..." I looked at her with concern. I should have known...
"It's no problem, really-"
"It's improper for somepony of your standing to sleep on the floor! I couldn't live with myself otherwise!" She was pretty tough. Oh well, might as well just go together, then. I had to be convincing this time, so I spoke a little more proudly, standing up straight.
"Very well, then I command you to sleep with me in the bed tonight." There, that should sound direct enough. She seemed to turn a little red for some reason, but she nodded.
"U-um... O-okay..." I saw her gulp out of nervousness; she must really not be used to being around unicorns. I spoke again with a more empathic face.
"Sorry for talking to you like that; either way, I'm glad we got that settled. How about my little friend?" I looked back at him.
"...Ah... Oh! Um... I have an extra pillow he could sleep on..." She was staring at me for a moment, her face still red before she replied. In any case, I'm glad it all worked out, and gave her a smile.
"Great!" I looked around her house again, and started walking to the bookshelf, curious about what she was interested in. As I stepped on the rug, I realized something she said before, turning back to her.
"Wait, you said something about a festival? What's the occasion?" It would be good to participate in a festival, after all I'd been through... Even though it's on rather short notice. I'll see if I can do a few activities, but it was more important that I try and find my way home.
"Y-you didn't know...? I-it's why everypony is coming to Trottenheim in the first place, Miss Viola." I blinked. So this place really was Trottenheim... This was really strange... "We're having a festival for the crowning of the new princess. She looks just like her mother..." I could see her smile and face turn pink. One of many admirers, no doubt. But a new princess? Sounds exciting! Maybe I should at least see the coronation, even if I don't do many festival-related things...
"No, I didn't know... I just came here because I was lost. I had no idea such a big event was going on!" I gave her a bit of an excited face to try and comfort her, which seemed to work. "I do have some work on the side I need to do, though..." The pony looked apprehensive for a moment, thinking about what to say, or if she should say it. She did, however.
"I-I could help you, if you don't know your way around..." I smiled and responded cheerfully.
"Oh, that'd be great, thank you!" She smiled meekly and nodded.
"Y-you're welcome... N-now, if you'll excuse me Miss Viola, I need to eat dinner... Would you care to join me?" She looked up at the second level for a moment, and I glanced over at the small window by the cabinets on this level. It was starting to get a bit orange out there. Guess it was time to eat dinner, talk a bit, and then turn in.
"I'd love to! Would you like some help setting up?" I realized too late that I said that, and knew that she'd already shake her head in protest, which she did. Still need to get used to that. I sighed and looked at her with a smile, defeated. "Alright, if you say so."
She nodded with a smile and went over to the stepladder, climbing up to the second floor. I looked behind me and carefully levitated a sleeping Angel to the table near a warm candle; didn't wake up, that's a relief. I started to walk over to the ladder myself to follow. I was fairly curious about her books, but it could wait until later.
Stopping at the top of the ladder, I took a second to look around up here. The second level seemed to be where she slept and ate. A table with a small stool on one side was under a circular window on the far wall. Just to the left in the corner was her bed, which was smoothly well-made, I might add. On it was a large doll of a white alicorn with a long pink mane. I smiled to myself that she'd have such a thing like a little filly. In the right corner was more cabinets and a countertop perfect for preparing food. She didn't seem to have a refrigerator.
I stepped closer in the room and watched her pull out a spare stool from a lower cabinet, dragging it and hearing it clunk on the floor. As she got ready to push it, I instead grabbed it with magic and set it on the opposite side of the table where she was going to sit. Expectedly, she stared, flabbergasted at my use of magic. I saw her shake off her moment of distraction and begin pulling out some vegetables from a closed basket next to the counter. Lettuce, celery, carrots, broccoli, radishes, and more! She was preparing quite a feast. I suppose after getting that much money from the stand, she could easily afford to replace these.
Having me standing around watching her prepare our big salad seemed to be making her a little nervous, so I decided to go back to the lower level, but not before glancing back at the doll she had again. She reminded me of Princess Celestia; must be the princess of Trottenheim. As I stepped down the ladder, I recall that there were lots of dolls made in our princess's image, for devout supporters and little fillies alike. I always thought it was rather silly; it was merely a way to make money, the way I saw it. Still, I remember I used to have a doll I adored...
I found myself in front of the merchant's bookshelf as I reminisced. Now what was she interested in? I hung my head to get a closer look, scanning all the bindings with anxiety. Food, clothing, building, running... Homey things. Plus books on buying and selling... Oh? History and social studies? She didn't seem much the type! Those are always interesting subjects, in my opinion. And what's this? A book about magic? Odd choice considering she's an earth pony... but guessing from her and the earlier crowd's reactions, would be understandable.
Rising my head back up in thought, I recall that some ponies in that scampering crowd were unicorns... Why were they so surprised...? It didn't make sense, no matter how much I thought about it. Every unicorn should be able to perform magic, no matter how little! Tiny foals have even been known to do remarkable feats despite their size... I wonder if this book would have any answers?
I took the book off the shelf with my magic, stepping over to the table that Angel was laying on, and quietly sat in the seat of the stool. Ah, that's right, there was already a book here... One on dress-making. I slid it aside, using the attached bookmark to close it, and set down my own book I picked out; 'Basic Studies of Magic, Trottenheim Edition'. This one was marked, too. Curiously, I opened it to the marked page; it was on a section about pegasus, unicorn, and earth ponies... Scratch that, they were referred to as winged, horned, and hornless ponies...
I read to myself silently. 'It is said that there is magic within all life; however, for hundreds of years, only a few most gifted of the horned have been known to utilize it. There has been no evidence to the contrary.' Hmm... This book seems really odd. I suppose since it was printed here, then they wouldn't know too much about magic all around...
'Since Trottenheim's founding, the horned have assumed a status above the hornless, including the winged, for this reason.' This sentence made me feel a bit depressed. Trottenheim has been around for a long time; has it always been this way for them? This place with such lack of harmony...
"It's... It's done, Miss Viola." I heard my pony friend call down from the second floor, and looked back to see her looking down at me, with a bit of a smile on her face. The preparations must have gone well. Angel's ears perked up out of his sleep and he sat up immediately, no doubt hungry.
"Okay; be right up!" I closed the book and replaced it at its former position on the shelf, trotting over to the steps, following an impatient rabbit. As I reached the top, I saw him dash over to and hop up the table, which had two candles on it now. She had prepared a small plate for him. I started walking over to the table and sat across from her, opposite the bed's side. The salad was in a large wooden bowl, the bowls in front of her and I smaller of a similar make. The sight of it made me almost drool.
"This looks delicious! I've barely eaten all day..." I normally wouldn't have said that, but it was far too true; all I've had was some lettuce for breakfast and then two quick snacks through the day. I was starving! Not to mention I'm not even sure how much time passed when I was teleported here. Who knows when I last ate before then? Angel looked as hungry as I am, staring longingly at the overfilled salad bowl.
My compliment seemed to make her pretty embarrassed, making her turn red a bit. She grabbed the salad spoon and began scooping out a big helping for me first, and then a smaller scoop for Angel, and finally filling her bowl last. I couldn't help but shout out before diving into my bowl.
"Let's dig in!"
---
We talked a bit, well, mostly I talked. Talked about my friends back home, and how I missed them. She seemed interested, taking in every word I said. It was nice, since usually ponies stop me from talking so much. I had to ask her about things in order to get her to talk; she seemed nervous, still, but was slowly warming up to me as time passed, as far as I could tell. I asked about how long she lived here, what friends she had, her interest in history and magic... All the questions about her seemed to make her more shy, as well. She seemed too shy to answer about what she thought of the princess of Trottenheim, though. I made sure to mention how wonderful the princess back home was, and she seemed appreciative, almost envious.
Time passed, and soon we had finished the entire salad bowl, much to the happiness of our bulging bellies.
"Phew... It's been a long time since I ate that much..." She was sounding pretty tired, too, letting a yawn escape from her, making Angel do the same. Seeing them yawn made me more relaxed and wanting to rest, too. I stretched for a moment, then before she could act, proceeded to put all the dishes onto the kitchen counter with magic, making her stare again.
"O-oh, thank you... You're really nice, Miss Viola... Probably the nicest pony I ever met." The compliment made me blush a bit, batting a hoof out and looking away.
"Pshaw, I'm just an average friendly pony. I'm sure there's others out there around here; you seem pretty friendly, too, in fact." I smiled with my own compliment and she turned a bit red in return. Sighing from the fine meal and looking outside at the darkness, I figured it was a good time to sleep. I've had a tiring day...
"Well, I think it's time for me to hit the hay." I got up slowly off the stool, walking past her to the bed, inspecting it. Very nicely made, flat and everything; the blanket was a dark blue, and I folded it over to make room for me. "...I like your doll, by the way." Looking back at her, she immediately blushed and realized it was still sitting there in the corner.
"O-oh, I, um... I'm a bit afraid of the dark... H-hugging her makes me feel safe." She looked away with a wince at the admittance, and walked off to the cabinets. This pony definitely reminded me of Fluttershy. I saw her grab a pillow and walk to the table, setting it on top.
"This'll be your bed, little one." She looked to him kindly as he hopped onto it, testing it's fluffiness. The little rabbit nodded with a smiling approval and laid back, much to her liking. I crawled into bed and tucked into the covers, laying my head back on the pillow nearest to the wall, and looked at the doll closely by my side.
"I'll blow the candles out..." I watched her turn to walk to the stepladder, and moved the doll in front of me to get a better look. This princess did look a lot like Princess Celestia. I could tell this doll was brushed on occasion. Flowing pink mane and tail, white alicorn. It was almost as if this were the princess without the blue and green in her mane. I guess all princesses are beautiful alicorns!
I looked over to the end of the room which had already turned black. The yellow pony was blowing out the candles on the kitchen countertops, then walked this way to get the ones on the table, which she did after glancing at me carefully placing the alicorn princess on her pillow, causing her to blush a bit. It was pitch black in here now, save for the gentle light of the moon outside illuminating the table and a sleeping Angel with a soft white glow.
I felt her climb into the bed next to me and saw her silhouette grab the doll.
"Goodnight, Miss Viola..." She quietly laid turned on her side away from me as I could see her hug her princess plushie tight.
"Goodnight, uh..." I paused for a moment. I still didn't know her name, of course.
"...Prairie Fabric." It was a nice-sounding name, one befitting of a home-maker like herself.
"Goodnight, Prairie Fabric." I shut my eyes and leaned back into my pillow to start entering the dream world. Making a new friend like Prairie really livened up my day. I wonder if I can make any more while I'm here in such a strange, different place than Ponyville? Something I'd have to try during the festival tomorrow. For now, I tried my best to clear my head so that I could finally sleep.
I wasn't exactly sure if I was dreaming or not, but during the night I felt something warm wrap around me. Perhaps it was just bandages and I was being mummified; I couldn't say. All I could really say was that it felt kind of nice.
~ Another Equestria ~